Eternally Yours
by Devious Bookworm
Summary: In which an unlikely reunion occurs on a balmy summer's eve and littering is perfectly acceptable.  Written for Murking Fantasy's "Ice Cream" prompt.


**Title:** Eternally Yours

**Author:** Devious_Bookworm

**Summary:** In which an unlikely reunion occurs on a balmy summer's eve and littering is perfectly acceptable

**Prompt:** Word of the week (Murking Fantasy): "Ice Cream"

**Disclaimer:** Although this seems somewhat redundant given the nature of this site, I do not own the creative genius that is _Dragon's Bait_ nor do I profit from the writing of this literature in any way, shape, or form other than the satisfaction of composing a (rather poor) piece of fiction. The characters belong to the original author, the great Vivian Vande Velde.

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"Excuse me, but is this seat taken?" The voice, soft and feminine, carried undertones of uncertainty, even as the wincing smile on her face spoke of sheepish apology. Lost in her own thoughts, the seated figure had not sensed the other's presence until she had voiced the question. Blinking away memories of a time long since passed, watching dense foliage and narrow, unpaved roads fade into monotone concrete and metal, she responded with a gentle smile, gracefully sweeping her arm in a manner that suggested it was perfectly fine. Settling herself in what appeared to be the only vacant seat in the entire park, the girl cradled her ice cream as if it were an armed bomb, brushing back strands of caramel hair that threatened to immerse themselves into the sweet, sticky mess. "Thanks a lot. I'm supposed to be meeting someone, if he ever decides to show up." Against the mindless chatter of pedestrians ambling by, it almost sounded like she muttered a string of insults, her tone rising in the way that only an enraged lover could muster.

Ah, young love. How sweet.

Minutes of silence passed, punctuated by the lethargic consumption of the treat and occasional glances at her too-still companion, who continued to dreamily watch the colourful sea of bodies drift slowly by. On warm summer nights like this, when the moon shined bright and romantic and the gentle breeze whispered the sweet nothings of lovers, it was only logical that the normally quiet streets of a small town would flood with life, a coral reef teeming with vitality under a paradoxical silver sun.

"You know," she began companionably, watching as the other paused with her plastic spoon hovering in the air, a white droplet threatening to stain the silky material of her dress, "I had the honor of knowing someone who lived during the invention of that." She indicated the other's dessert, the corners of her mouth upturned in a wry smile. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw confusion and wonderment, quickly replaced by wary suspicion. A mouth, still bearing traces of the dairy product, opened as if to ask a pointed question before closing just as quickly, perhaps to reorganize her thoughts, or better yet, examine her companion in a new light. There was only one way to find out if… Could she really be one of _them_?

"Are you—" She stopped midway through her query, halted by a pale hand on her shoulder and the sudden appearance of a dark haired man behind her. He bent down in a smooth motion, stifling her gasp with his lips.

"If you'll excuse us," he said after a long moment, his devilishly handsome features, eyes gleaming like sapphires in the dim light, and achingly familiar inhuman wit and charm stunning her momentary silence before he swept his prize away, leaving a forgotten cardboard cup and plastic spoon where a teenage girl once sat. Shaking her head in bemusement, she relaxed into the comfortable curve of the wooden bench, intent on passing the night like any other in the seamless monotony of her everlasting existence.

Peacefully alone and determined to finally quell the ache in her chest, she exhaled slowly, letting her fingertips gloss over the metallic surface of the arms of her seat, relishing in the warm, almost pleasurable burn from the traces of iron, feeling sparks of pain dance along her spine like faeries during a harvest moon. It wouldn't kill her, she knew, or even cause permanent injury, no. It could only cause a fleeting pain lasting a few days at the most, barely enough to fill the void left by his absence and her inability to join him in death. He had always teased her naïve and all-too human stubbornness.

If only he could see her now.

"And you wonder what I would say?" he whispered hoarsely into the shell of her ear as warm hands possessively clutched hers, pressing them further into the metal. Their sharp exhalations, his anger, her masochistic pleasure, fueled their passion, defining the world comprised of them and no other. His name spilled from her lips, a melody of syllables and cadences, even as he voiced hers in reply. He silenced the questions on the tip of her tongue with his own before breaking apart to huskily whisper, "Now that I've found you again, I'll never let go. Understand, Alys?" She could only nod in response before he whisked her away, questions unanswered for the moment. After all, they had an eternity together.

That empty park bench, a place of couples, romance, and true love, a seat of yearning and fulfillment, waited patiently, bathed in an ethereal stream of glowing starlight, a vision of beauty marred only by a single, forgotten piece of trash and the sticky remains of a summer treat.

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**Author's Note:** Erm, the prompt was supposed to be one hundred words multiplied by a factor of eight, right? . Anyways... this is quite random for a _Dragon's Bait_ fanfiction, given the modern setting and the assumption that Alys somehow gained immortality or longevity and thought that our darling Selendrile had died... perhaps it was the same event? OwO Hooray for cameos of epic (fail) proportions?


End file.
